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Quick and easy trip just above Sonoma with great views.


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Map Key

2.4

Miles

3.8

KM

Out and Back

509' 155 m

High

137' 42 m

Low

372' 113 m

Up

372' 113 m

Down

6%

Avg Grade (3°)

12%

Max Grade (7°)

Dogs No Dogs

Features Views · Wildflowers

Overview

Though short, this is worth a visit when you're in the area. Perhaps a perfect hike between wine tastings or after a meal at one of the excellent restaurants in the area?

Description

Climb up the trail, starting in lovely oak forest and then alongside the old cemetery, which contains headstones of many prominent locals dating back to the 1840's.

As you ascend, you enter grasslands with big views, which just get better and better all the way to the top. On a clear day you can see San Francisco.

Loop around the top to enjoy the views in all directions and return the way you came.

Flora & Fauna

Lots of coastal oak and bay trees, with monkeyflower, vinca, honeysuckle, ferns, and poison oak along the trail (but not on it!). There are also large sections of grasslands with abundant wildflowers in spring.

History & Background

Long ago, this was prime hunting grounds for the Coast Miwok people. By the mid-1800s, a cemetery had been built near the trailhead, which is still exists today. The hill was neglected for decades, being used as a stone quarry and then a trash dump until the 1950s.

In the 1990s, a resort hotel was proposed for the site, but a citizen vote rejected it in favor of recreation space, and this trail was built soon after.

Contacts

Shared By:

Nick Wilder

Trail Ratings

  4.3 from 6 votes

#1

in Sonoma

#2965

Overall
  4.3 from 6 votes
5 Star
33%
4 Star
67%
3 Star
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2 Star
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1 Star
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Recommended Route Rankings

#1

in Sonoma

#406

in California

#2,965

Overall
12 Views Last Month
2,751 Since Apr 28, 2015
Intermediate Intermediate

0%
29%
71%
0%
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0%

Photos

Wildflowers on trail at overlook.
Apr 29, 2015 near Sonoma, CA
Sonoma from the overlook loop.
Jun 19, 2022 near Sonoma, CA
Great views over Sonoma
Apr 28, 2015 near Sonoma, CA
Intense studying on the Sonoma Overlook Trail
Apr 25, 2015 near Sonoma, CA

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Weather


Current Trail Conditions

Minor Issues 4 days ago
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